The Gospel of John By J.C. ryle

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"By baptism," we are confidently told, "all baptized people are made children of God; all members of the Church, without distinction, have a right to be addressed as sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty." Statements like these can never be reconciled with the plain language of our Lord in the passage before us. If words mean anything, no man is really a child of God, who does not love Jesus Christ. The charitable judgment of a baptismal service, or the hopeful estimate of a catechism, may call him by the name of a son, and reckon him among God's children. But the reality of sonship to God, and all its blessings, no one possesses who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. (Ephes. 6:24.) In matters like these we need not be shaken by mere assertions. We may well afford to despise the charge of undervaluing the sacraments. We have only to ask one question--"What is written? What says the Lord?" And with this saying before us, we can only come to one conclusion--"Where there is no love to Christ, there is no sonship to God." We are taught, lastly, in these verses, the reality and character of the devil. Our Lord speaks of him as one whose personality and existence are beyond dispute. In solemn words of stern rebuke He says to His unbelieving enemies, "You are of your father the devil"--led by him, doing his will, and showing unhappily that you are like him. And then He paints his picture in dark colors, describing him as a "murderer" from the beginning, as a "liar" and the father of lies. There is a devil! We have a mighty invisible enemy always near us--one who never slumbers and never sleeps--one who is about our path and about our bed, and spies out all our ways, and will never leave us until we die. He is a murderer! His great aim and object is, to ruin us forever and kill our souls. To destroy, to rob us of eternal life, to bring us down to the second death in hell, are the things for which he is unceasingly working. He is ever going about, seeking whom he may devour. He is a liar! He is continually trying to deceive us by false representations, just as he deceived Eve at the beginning. He is always telling us that good is evil and evil good--truth is falsehood and falsehood truth--the broad way good and the narrow way bad. Millions are led captive by his deceit, and follow him, both rich and poor, both high and low, both learned and unlearned. Lies are his chosen weapons. By lies he slays many. These are dreadful things; but they are true. Let us live as if we believed them. Let us not be like many who mock, and sneer, and scoff, and deny the existence of the very being who is invisibly leading them to hell. Let us believe there is a devil, and watch, and pray, and fight hard against his temptations. Strong as he is, there is One stronger than him, who said to Peter, "I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not," and who still intercedes at God's right hand. Let us commit our souls to Him. (Luke 22:32.) With such a being as the devil going to and fro in the world, we never need wonder to see evil abounding. But with Christ on our side, we need not be afraid. Greater is He that is for 120 of 282
us than he that is against us. It is written, "Resist the devil, and he shall flee from you." "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." (James 4:7; Rom. 16:20.) JOHN 8:48-59 The Jewish people who had been listening to him replied, "Aren’t we correct in saying that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?" Jesus answered, "I am not possessed by a demon, but I honor my Father and yet you dishonor me. I am not trying to get praise for myself. There is one who demands it, and he also judges. I tell you the solemn truth, if anyone obeys my teaching, he will never see death." Then the Jewish people who had been listening to him responded, "Now we know you’re possessed by a demon! Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet you say, ‘If anyone obeys my teaching, he will never taste of death.’ You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?" Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless. The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people say, ‘He is our God.’ Yet you do not know him, but I know him. If I say that I do not know him, I will be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey his teaching. Your father Abraham was overjoyed to see my day, and he saw it and was glad." Then the Jewish people who had been listening to him replied, "You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am!" Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple area. We should observe, first, in this passage, what blasphemous and slanderous language was addressed to our Lord by His enemies. We read that the Jews "Aren't we correct in saying that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?" Silenced in argument, these wicked men resorted to personal abuse. To lose temper, and call names, is a common sign of a defeated cause. Nicknames, insulting epithets, and violent language, are favorite weapons with the devil. When other means of carrying on his warfare fail, he stirs up his servants to smite with the tongue. Grievous indeed are the sufferings which the saints of God have had to endure from the tongue in every age. Their characters have been slandered. Evil reports have been circulated about them. Lying stories have been diligently invented, and greedily swallowed, about their conduct. No wonder that David said, "Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue." (Psalm 120:2.) 121 of 282
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CTL.TODAY PRESENTS EXPOSITORY THOUG
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CONTENTS PREFACE - 5 I. JOHN 1:1-51
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theological views of the Reformers
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when matter was first created, and
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2:40.) This was the whole tenor of
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The main truth which this verse tea
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JOHN 1:15-18 John testified about h
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JOHN 1:19-28 The Testimony of John
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Salvation is within their reach; bu
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Last, but not least, Christ is a PE
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who have done most for Christ's cau
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Himself, and the agency of man seem
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son of Abraham--a Jew inwardly, pos
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is lightly esteemed. They who light
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JOHN 2:12-25 Cleansing the Temple,
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that are taught by parents to child
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CHAPTER III JOHN 3:1-8 Conversation
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(Rom. 8:7.) We come into the world
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We have in these verses the second
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when we die. Christ has been "lifte
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the Spirit sparingly. The Father lo
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The truth before us, is one of the
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inconsistent with the fact announce
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the people who worship him must wor
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feels its disease. Never does a man
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How much astonishment every fresh c
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JOHN 4:31-42 Workers for the Harves
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The words of Paul should never be f
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hours, while the old and feeble lin
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CHAPTER V JOHN 5:1-15 Healing a Par
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We are taught, lastly, the lesson t
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We learn, for another thing, from t
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the way to heaven. Until we know so
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scriptures thoroughly because you t
Page 70 and 71: JOHN 5:40-47 "But you are not willi
Page 72 and 73: doubts. Is it at all likely, probab
Page 74 and 75: something was amended or restored t
Page 76 and 77: Jerusalem, it was on a borrowed don
Page 78 and 79: The Lord Jesus, we should never for
Page 80 and 81: JOHN 6:28-34 So then they said to h
Page 82 and 83: come to Christ, and eat the bread o
Page 84 and 85: no restriction. The terms of the Go
Page 86 and 87: These things, no doubt, are deep an
Page 88 and 89: Let us next consider carefully, wha
Page 90 and 91: the idea of eating His flesh and dr
Page 92 and 93: sower, many "have no root in themse
Page 94 and 95: CHAPTER VII JOHN 7:1-13 The Feast o
Page 96 and 97: We should observe, lastly, in this
Page 98 and 99: Whatever some may say about their i
Page 100 and 101: is true. You do not know him, but I
Page 102 and 103: It is far too much forgotten that t
Page 104 and 105: one thing, that all who come to Chr
Page 106 and 107: God who knows anything of these thi
Page 108 and 109: CHAPTER VIII JOHN 8:1-11 A Woman Ca
Page 110 and 111: Conscience is a most important part
Page 112 and 113: seen from a different point of view
Page 114 and 115: him, and he may possibly return at
Page 116 and 117: JOHN 8:31-36 Abraham’s Children a
Page 118 and 119: captive by it. Liberty, like this,
Page 122 and 123: The true Christian in the present d
Page 124 and 125: CHAPTER IX JOHN 9:1-12 Healing a Ma
Page 126 and 127: will not be tied down to the use of
Page 128 and 129: works of mercy, in ministering to t
Page 130 and 131: God," he cries, "He could do nothin
Page 132 and 133: CHAPTER X JOHN 10:1-9 Jesus as the
Page 134 and 135: etween bitter and sweet is one of t
Page 136 and 137: hearer, would be singularly full of
Page 138 and 139: own words literally fulfilled--"I c
Page 140 and 141: doubtless make shipwreck forever, u
Page 142 and 143: inspiration are to be numbered by t
Page 144 and 145: us to our Bibles, and teaches us to
Page 146 and 147: ecover." (Now Jesus had been talkin
Page 148 and 149: main are led by one Spirit, and lov
Page 150 and 151: the only Savior is often all that w
Page 152 and 153: Weeping and mourning are sadly tryi
Page 154 and 155: of inward faith, that when our turn
Page 156 and 157: We should observe, for one thing, i
Page 158 and 159: flesh," but they do not tend to pro
Page 160 and 161: It is a comfortable thought, that t
Page 162 and 163: Let us thank God if we know anythin
Page 164 and 165: willing Savior at the right hand of
Page 166 and 167: find at length that he has lost eve
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their graves, and appear before the
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to find unbelief among the hearers
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Another thing shown in these verses
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CHAPTER XIII JOHN 13:1-5 Washing th
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knowledge. To know things with our
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more remembered, and real humility
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The lesson is one of which we all n
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Jesus said to him, "What you are ab
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God. Let us watch jealously over ou
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every relation of life. Specially i
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elievers. They do not see clearly w
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deeds. Believe me that I am in the
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that cannot be mistaken. "If you ha
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they who never forget the words, "O
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ody is united to the head. So long
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Christ must always be attended by l
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find Him saying, "Peace I leave wit
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CHAPTER XV JOHN 15:1-6 The Vine and
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vain notion to suppose that we are
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to be, that fruitfulness in Christi
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sweeping condemnation. Sound views
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Facts, painful facts in every age,
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utterly without excuse." They had s
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CHAPTER XVI JOHN 16:1-7 "I have tol
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We never can tell what is before us
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The difficulty of rightly explainin
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and, ‘because I am going to the F
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We may well believe that up to this
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disciples--"The Father Himself love
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CHAPTER XVII JOHN 17:1-8 When Jesus
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with attention, and fail to see tha
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hypocrites, it is one which those w
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e entirely by grace, and not of wor
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CHAPTER XVIII JOHN 18:1-11 Betrayal
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just as willing to receive and pard
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oth remained unmoved, cold, indiffe
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etter man? If Peter's fall has made
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Our Lord's main object in saying "M
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understanding; if you do you seek h
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picture, it contains special points
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governors that a country can have.
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utterly unlike the kingdoms of this
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crucifixion, were inspired by Him w
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JOHN 19:38-42 After this Joseph of
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passage before us was meant to conv
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owed so much to Christ. None felt s
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JOHN 20:11-18 But Mary stood outsid
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was not the highest style of faith.
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infusion of grace and charity--to s
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The story of the unbelief of Thomas
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it go. Unless our Lord Jesus is ver
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We should observe, for one thing, i
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JOHN 21:15-17 Then when they had fi
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scattered throughout this sinful wo
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the sermons they preached, and all
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J.C. Ryle Bio and Resources: John C
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The Gospel of John By J.C. ryle

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